The Sheikh’s Reluctant American by Leslie North

Banished Sheikh Malid Adjalane has no interest in returning to the family business under the watchful eye of his controlling father. But if Malid doesn’t agree to take on a tough deal, he won’t be allowed into the palace to see his dying mother. With no other choice, Malid finds himself deep in negotiations with the largest oil producer in the world. He expected hard work, but he never could have prepared himself for the gorgeous, ambitious woman on the other end of this business deal.

Nigella Michaels works hard for her father’s oil company, but she still has a lot to prove. It’s a masculine industry, and with her dad about to retire, this deal could be just what she needs to show him once and for all that she’s the right person to continue his legacy. She’s always worked well with others, and this should be no exception. But not even her meticulous research could have prepared Nigella for the instant attraction she has with Malid.

After so many years on his own, it won’t be easy for Malid to put up with his father’s terms. But with Nigella’s help, perhaps they’ll both learn to balance the weight of their family with their own desires.

★☆☆☆☆

As much as I wanted it to be, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Nigella Michaels is looking to prove herself to her daddy who owns an oil company. When he retires she MAY get the company if she proves herself to him and she’s a hard working, bull-headed Texan who is determined to do just that. Malid is her counterpart, he is just as bull headed and arrogant, so much so that once upon a time he got into a family dispute about his brothers then fiancée and now wife. In the end, he was banned from his home.

Except, now the Michaels oil company [Opell oil,] wants to build a pipeline and need to come to an agreement with the owner of the land, Malid’s father puts him in charge of this. If he can land a deal that benefits them then he is allowed to come home.

Of course this brings Nigella and Malid together and when they come together it’s rushed, forced and empty of depth. The overall idea of the plot is actually interesting, but there is little to nothing that actually transpires and that includes erotica which is what this is supposed to be.

When Malid whisks Nigella into the desert to show her his land it felt as though it skipped forward in time and we were missing important key events that would have developed them. I’m even fine when Nigella considers sleeping with Malid for a business conquest – but when she’s in the desert and then begins to fall in love with him? Two-three days into her stay she’s already falling in love? No. Nope. If it wasn’t such a short book I would have DNF this. I really wanted to like it, but it fell flat for me. Not to mention there was little to no erotica.